


The Path That Moonbeams Make

by theoldwillweep



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - Peter Pan Fusion, F/F, M/M, anyways this is gay, but i still love them and please do not doubt that, for javid at least, i haven’t actually checked the entire fandom, i just love peter pan and newsies, i’m surprised no one has done this??, newsbians and sprace are more background ships, not entirely sure what i’m doing but, rated for mild language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-10-04 01:02:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17294699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theoldwillweep/pseuds/theoldwillweep
Summary: “Davey, ya comin’?” Jack asks.Davey didn’t know how he felt about this whole thing.Of course, he’d had wanted this since he was a small child, and it was almost too good to be true.That’s what kept Davey frozen in place; what if it was too good to be true?What if this was all just an incredibly vivid dream that he could wake up from at any moment?“I... don’t know...” he replied lamely.Jack only chuckled in response, took Davey’s hand in his, and flew out the window.And with that, they were off to Neverland.~*A Newsies Peter Pan AU**Edited 2/4/19, fixed some grammatical and formatting errors!





	The Path That Moonbeams Make

**Author's Note:**

> quick note: peter pan allegedly takes place in 1904, which is very close to the canonical year that newsies is set in, so this is gonna be a canon era fic of sorts? it hopefully won’t be too confusing, sorry y’all! enjoy!

           Late on a Saturday night, the Jacobs household bustled with activity. Mayer and Esther Jacobs were preparing to attend a party hosted by Mayer’s ex-coworkers. Though Mayer was laid off of work due to an arm injury, his coworkers spared him a thought and chose to invite him. 

         In the next room over, separated by only a curtain, were the Jacobs siblings. It was getting late, but the impending bedtime did nothing to deter the spirits of Sarah and Les Jacobs, who were merrily fighting each other with wooden swords. A miffed David Jacobs sat next to them, who was attempting to peacefully skim through a tattered old textbook, mourning the loss of attending school every day. It had been a year now since Mayer had gotten laid off from work; without the extra income, David begrudgingly took up the job of a newsboy, while Sarah began to work at the shirtwaist factory. Les began to work as a newsboy too, wanting to be “grown up” like his siblings were. However, sparing a glance at the boy dueling with his older sister, he knew that simply taking up a job wouldn’t grant his wish so easily.

         “Would you two _please_ quiet down?” David begged.

         The two seemed unbothered by David’s request, and continued to try and come out victorious. Listening carefully, David groaned as he realized that they were playing “Jack Kelly and Captain Pulitzer” again.

         “Curse you, Jack Kelly! Give up!” Sarah bellowed in a faux deep voice.

         “Never, Pulitzer!” Les shrieked as Sarah dropped her sword, opting to tickle the boy’s sides instead. The two fell to the bed in a laughing fit, as Sarah resumed her merciless attacks on the younger boy. Examining the two, David wondered how Sarah, the eldest of the Jacobs siblings, could still remain so immature. David had been forced to grow up the minute he arrived at the circulation gate in Newsies Square, and it baffled him that Sarah hadn’t been forced to do the same.

         Sarah lowered her defenses and let up on her attacks in order for Les to once again regain dominance in their battle, and fell back to the bed with a sigh of defeat.

         “You’ve done it again, Kelly! I’ll get you next time, I swear!” Sarah growled.

         “I’d like to see you try, Pulitzer!” Les giggled as he climbed off of Sarah. They firmly shook hands to signify the end of the battle, then immediately fell into another laughing fit.

         They both went quiet, and then Les asked, in the smallest voice he could muster, “Sarah, do you think David will read me a story tonight?”

         Sarah let out a small sigh, and flattened Les’ hair against his head. “Sorry, love, but I think that David’s a bit tired tonight,” she said, and Les let out a sigh of his own, walking back to his shared bed with David.

         It had been months since David had last read a bedtime story; after his first day of work, the number of nights that ended with stories began to dwindle, until they ceased entirely. David didn’t see the point of it anymore. He was practically an adult now, he didn’t have the time or desire to engage himself in such stories. Both Les and Sarah longed for the days where David would play “Jack Kelly” with them before bed, as he seemed to enjoy it just as much as the two of them did. Sarah was always exhausted after work, but saw importance in preserving her brother’s childhood, so she continued to do so each night. Bedtime stories, however, were not the same without David, and Sarah stopped making attempts with them after Les expressed his displeasure with the way she recounted them. David had a way with words, and an endless amount of knowledge on fairytales, and even Sarah had to admit that she felt engaged with them when David told them. That, however, was in the past. 

         Esther came in to bid them goodnight, and Sarah gushed over how beautiful her mother looked. Esther gently thanked her, and gave her a kiss goodnight. She made her way to David and Les’ shared bed, and pressed a kiss to Les’ head. She then turned her attention to David, who was already settled into bed, back turned to her.

         “David, dear, are you alright?” she asked, concern laced throughout her words.

         “Fine, mama,” David grumbled in reply. Esther seemed to take this as a satisfactory answer, pressed a kiss to the side of her eldest son’s head, and briskly exited the room, fretting over how she and Mayer would be late.

         David tried to squash the feeling of longing in his chest; after what seemed like an eternity, he finally felt himself drift into a deep sleep.

 

* * *

 

         David roused from his sleep, disturbed by the noises of drawers opening and closing. He heard feet shuffling across the floor, and was immediately annoyed.

         Assuming it was only his brother, he muttered, “Les, go back to sleep.”

         When there was no reply, and no signs of his brother returning to bed, he begrudgingly opened his eyes. He rolled over, and froze when he saw that Les was still in bed with him, just as he had been hours earlier. He felt a wave of fear wash over him, but relaxed when he realized it was most likely just Sarah. His fears, however, multiplied when he saw that Sarah’s bed was still occupied, and that their bedroom window was ajar.

          Of course, David had always read stories of burglars, and was well aware that it was always a possibility, though nothing could have prepared him for this moment. Who in their right mind would want to steal from their ratty, rundown tenement? David scanned the room for something to use as a weapon, and found only the two wooden swords that Sarah and Les had been using before bed. Figuring it was better than nothing, David picked one up and slowly began to rise out of bed.

         Shaking, David began to walk around the room, looking for any evidence that the supposed burglar was still present. There was a rustle behind the curtain at the entrance of his and his siblings’ bedroom, and David’s head snapped towards the sound. He began to slowly approach it, and readied himself to throw the curtain back in hopes of surprising the intruder.

         Before he could do so, however, he was beat to the act. The curtain was drawn back, revealing a boy around David’s age, clad in a green shirt and _tights_ , of all things.    

         Letting out a semi-choked scream, David began to hack away at the offending person with his wooden sword.

         The boy seemed only mildly inconvenienced by this, exclaiming “Hey! What are you doin’?!”

         David was visibly taken aback by the question, as he ceased his attacks. This boy breaks into his home, and then he has the audacity to ask why he was attacking him? 

         David takes a deep breath in order to calm himself, barely considering the boy in front of him as a threat anymore.

         After his breathing has evened, he asks him, “What do you think you’re doing in my house?”

         The boy lets out a short laugh, once again baffling David, and says in a light tone, “Funny story, but it seems that I’ve lost my shadow somewhere in your residence.”

         David makes a face at this, wondering what kind of absolute lunatic would break into his house, and then feed him the most absolute bullshit lie when asked why he did it.

         After a few beats of silence, David says, “Do you actually expect me to believe that?” in a low voice.

         The boy shuffles a little, seeming just as confused as David did just moments ago. “Yes?” he replies in a small voice.

         “You are the most _impossible_ boy-“ he starts, but is cut off by a loud “Shh!”. David, once again nonplussed by the boy’s audacity to shush him after _breaking into his house,_ begins to say “Are you really going to-“ but doesn’t get to finish, as he is shushed again.

         The boy grabs the sides of his face, and David immediately attempts to fight the blush that’s rapidly painting his cheeks due to the close proximity. His head is gently turned to the corner of the room, where a shadowy silhouette stands. David starts to panic again, but the boy begins to quietly creep towards the figure. Once he’s close enough, he grabs it, and David still can’t quite tell what it is.

         “Got it!” the boy grins cheekily, _surely_ this can’t be his _shadow_? “Do you by chance have any soap?” he continues in an equally delighted tone. David absently points towards the bathroom, not exactly knowing why this boy would need _soap_ , of all things.

         He returns with a bar of the object in question, and promptly takes a seat on the floor. He begins to rub the soap on the alleged shadow’s foot, then attempts to stick it back on.

         After realizing what he’s attempting to do, David chimes in with “If you’re trying to reattach it, soap will never work; at least try sewing it on.”

         “Grand idea, ‘cept I don’t know how,” he replies from the floor. David runs a hand down his face, knowing full well that he either had to sew it on himself, or rouse his sister. Sarah was far better at sewing than he was, but he really didn’t want to explain the whole situation to his sister. Wanting this boy out of his house as soon as possible, he resigns himself to the fact that this is something he’ll have to do himself.

         David tells the boy to take a seat on a chair that’s seated at the corner of the room, and gently makes his way over the Sarah’s bedside table.

         He slowly opens one of the drawers, and promptly drops it onto the floor, effectively spilling all of its contents. He flinches, carefully squatting down to pick it up, desperately hoping that Sarah would just stay asleep.

         Fate was not on his side, however, as David hears his sister begin to stir.

         Seeing her drawer and all of its contents scattered on the floor with her younger brother next to it, she inquires “What are you doing, David?”, careful not to make any more noise.

         “It’s nothing, go back to sleep,” he replies, praying that the desperation is not clear within his voice.

         Sarah’s fatigue outweighs her curiosity, and she lays her head back down without a fight. David lets out a breath that he didn’t know he was holding, and immediately goes back to searching for what he had originally intended on opening the drawer for. Moments later, he’s victorious once he finds the sewing kit, partially under the bed now. He puts the rest of the drawer’s contents back inside of it, and puts it back to where it was before David disturbed it.

         He creeps back over to the boy waiting patiently on the chair, whose eyes are slowly surveying the room. He crouches down until he’s level with the boy’s feet.

         Removing the needle from the kit and lining the shadow up with the boy’s foot, he warns, “Sorry, this might hurt a little.”

         The boy chuckles, and replies with “Nothing the great Jack Kelly can’t handle.”

 _Jack Kelly?_ He had to be joking.

         Before David can reprimand him for telling a blatant lie, Jack follows up with “So, don’t I get your name?”

         The thought of telling this infuriating boy who broke into his house his name is not pleasant at first. But oddly enough, the boy has some sort of charm that’s _actually_ _working_ _on_ _him_ , which is even more of an unpleasant thought. Somehow, David is drawn to this infuriatingly charming, _infuriatingly handsome_ boy _._

         So, almost against his will, he replies with “David. Jacobs.” 

         David finishes reattaching the boy’s (who he _refuses_ to believe is Jack Kelly) shadow, and Jack responds flirtily with “Nice to meet ya, _Davey_ ,”, giving him a look of complete infatuation.

         The new nickname sends chills down David’s spine, and he’s about to reply with ‘That’s not my name!’, but before he can get the chance to, a loud exclamation of “Whoah!” is heard by the two of them.

         David turns around to see Les, looking awestruck at the sight in front of him. “Les-“ David begins, but is once again interrupted.

         “David, it’s Jack Kelly!”

         David is about to tell him that it’s ridiculous, that of course it isn’t the infamous, _entirely_ _fictional_ Jack Kelly, but he’s interrupted _yet again,_ this time by Jack.

         “Hey, that’s right, kid. How’d ya know?” he asks.

         “I’m a big fan, I’d recognize you anywhere!” Les starts. “Is it all really true? Neverland, the battles with Pulitzer, the mermaids, the pirates of the Brooklyn ship, the Lost Boys?!” he asks excitedly.

         A large grin spreads across Jack’s face as he nods, seemingly just as excited as Les is. “You betcha, kid!” he answers.

         “What about Crutchie?!” Les exclaims. David recounts that whenever he would tell the rigorous tales of Jack Kelly to his younger brother, he would always ask for more about Crutchie, a pixie with one broken wing. He was always one of Les’ favorite parts of the stories, as he was astounded by the fact that the pixie still managed to fly with an injured wing. 

         “Oh, for sure! He’s here right now!” he replies easily.

         Out of the corner of his eye, David catches a glimpse of a faint glowing light that he hadn’t noticed before. He turns his full attention to it, because surely a _pixie_ can’t be real-

         David was proven wrong, just as he was with Jack’s shadow. Considering he was seeing a real, live pixie, before him, he was forced to come to the realization that, yes, this is _the_ Jack Kelly that he grew up reading about, fantasizing about flying away to Neverland with.

         Before he can be forced to face the weight of the situation, Les animatedly introduces himself to Crutchie, unable to believe his eyes.

         Crutchie begins to make wild gestures, which Jack translates as him introducing himself as well. While Les excitedly rambles on to Crutchie, Jack catches David’s eyes and gives him a warm smile, which he promptly shies away from as he feels the blush from earlier make a reappearance.

         Unbeknownst to the four of them, Sarah is roused from her sleep due to Les’ excited, and loud, babbling.

         She comes up behind them, obviously confused and horrified as to why her younger brothers are talking to a _stranger_ , in their _house_ , in the late hours of the night.

         “David, Les, who is this?” she asks, trying not to let her panic seep into her words.

         Conversation ceases, as all heads turn to Sarah. Jack, being Jack, turns on his charisma immediately, and replies with “The name’s Jack Kelly.”

         “Wh-“ she begins, skeptical, but trails off as she sees Crutchie hovering by his side. Everything clicks, and she immediately connects everything. “Oh, my God!” she exclaims, the same excitement that they experienced from Les present in her features.

         She grabs his hand, shaking it enthusiastically as she introduces herself. “My name’s Sarah! Wow, I can’t believe you’re _real_! I feel like I could faint!” she gabs excitedly.

         “I tend to have that affect on people,” he laughs, his words dripping with charisma.

         Sarah goes through the same routine that Les did, asking him all sorts of questions.

         “Hey, if you guys are so curious, how’s about ya come with me?” he asks, no hint of humor in his voice.

         Les and Sarah light up at this, and David automatically begins to protest. “Jack, I don’t think that-“ he begins, but is cut off when Jack says “Aw, c’mon, Davey, lighten up,” as he casts that same warm smile at him.

         David’s protests die in his throat, and Sarah gives him a knowing smile. He makes a face at her, and Jack resumes talking.

         “Well, let’s go!” he says, starting towards the window.

         “Wait!” David exclaims, effectively stopping Jack in his tracks. “How do you get there?” he asks.

         “Well, ya fly of course!” Jack supplies, as if it’s common knowledge.

         “Right, my bad,” David shoots back sarcastically.

         “Well, how do you fly?” Les inquires.

         “Just think a happy thought!” Jack answers.

         “Any happy little thought?” Sarah smiles, and Jack nods enthusiastically. 

         Attempting to conjure up a happy thought in his mind, David realizes that he hasn’t had too many of those lately.

         So, he turns to his childhood, the fantasies he would have of Neverland, and of Jack Kelly.

         A warm, pleasant feeling washes over him, but not much else happens. He opens his eyes, and observes that his siblings are facing the same issue.

         “Uh, Jack? Why isn’t it working?” David asks.

         Crutchie giggles to himself, and this triggers something in Jack’s mind. “Damn, I forgot!” he realizes, as Crutchie flies over to him. “Pixie dust!” he laughs.

         With help from Crutchie, a glittery dust is sprinkled on top of David, Les, and Sarah’s heads.

         They close their eyes and think of their happy thoughts once more, and begin to feel themselves rise off the ground. 

         “Wow, it’s really working!” Les squeals.

         “‘Course it is, kid!” Jack grins. “Now, let’s go!” he shouts happily.

         Jack, Sarah, and Les fly over to the window, but Davey remains where he is.

         “Davey, ya comin’?” Jack asks.

         Davey didn’t know how he felt about this whole thing.

         Of course, he’d had wanted this since he was a small child, and it was almost too good to be true.

         That’s what kept Davey frozen in place; what if it _was_ too good to be true?

         What if this was all just an incredibly vivid dream that he could wake up from at any moment?

         “I... don’t know...” he replied lamely.

         Jack only chuckled in response, took Davey’s hand in his, and flew out the window.

         And with that, they were off to Neverland.

* * *

          High above the streets of New York City, Jack had yet to release Davey, so hand-in-hand they flew. To their right, Les attempted to do flips in the air, while Sarah did everything within her power to prevent him from doing so.

         The fears that this was some elaborate dream continued to plague Davey’s mind. He knew it was silly, but he so desperately wanted this to be real. After he had essentially been forced to grow up, it was nice to have something to believe in, to look forward to. Davey had forgotten what it was like to just be a kid, to be able to have fun without worrying about the consequences, or what his peers would think of such childish behavior. Even if this was real, which Davey prayed that it was, it would have to end eventually. He couldn’t stay in Neverland forever, he had a family to take care of. He had a job to get back to. And once his father was healed, he would have to go back to school as well. 

         “So, Davey,” Jack began, startling him out of his reverie. Davey only hummed in response, to indicate that he was listening. “Anythin’ in particular you’s excited about?”

         Davey thought for a moment, digging deep into the fantasies he’d had as a child.

         “Hm.. Well, when I was a boy, I was real entranced by the mermaids,” he supplied.

         Jack grunted in response. “Any reason why?”

         “This might sound silly, but I wanted to be one for the longest time. Whenever mama would take us to the river for a swim, I would spend hours pretending to be one,” he smiled fondly, recalling the memories.

         “I don’t think it’s silly; you’s certainly pretty enough to be one,” Jack said, with a hint of something in his voice that Davey couldn’t identify.

         “W-What?” he stammered in reply.

         “We’s almost there, hold tight, hm?” Jack replied, rather than answering Davey.

* * *

 

           Not before long, Neverland came into view, a spitting image of the maps that he, Sarah, and Les used to draw; Davey could hardly believe his eyes. Mermaid Lagoon, the Brooklyn, and-

         “Hey, look!” Les exclaimed, pointing downward. “It’s old man Pulitzer’s ship!”

         The four of them turned their attention towards the ship, and as they did, a cannonball came hurtling towards them. 

         They narrowly dodged it, and Davey worriedly asked “Jack, what’s going on?”

         “Eh, Pulitzer must be up to his old tricks again,” he said lightly, as if the whole ordeal were some kind of joke.

         “Hey, listen, me and Crutchie’ll take care of this, you three head towards my hideout, ‘kay?” he said, pointing in the general the direction of where it was, which was hardly helpful at all.

         “Jack, I-“ Davey began, but was interrupted by another loud bang, which indicated that another cannon ball was heading their way.

         “You’ll be fine!” Jack yelled over the noise, “The Lost Boys’ll help ya!”

         Jack began to push them in the direction of the hideout. Davey began to protest once again, but the sound of another shot silenced him, urging him to get away.

         So, Davey, Sarah, and Les headed for the hideout, hoping against hope that they’d find it without any more complications.

* * *

         Once the Jacobs siblings reached the general area of the hideout, they decided it would be best to split up; Sarah with Les, and Davey by himself.

         As Davey flew around, he began to wish that he’d stood his ground a little more, because flying around aimlessly through Neverland alone was not at all pleasant, as he was looking for something that he was sure he wouldn’t be able to indentify even if it was sat right in front of him.

         Davey surveyed the land, still not quite sure what he was looking for. He was preparing to head back to where he came from to inform Sarah that his efforts were fruitless, when all of the sudden, he began to be pelted by rocks.

         Davey let out a yelp, and lost his concentration while flying.

         With his thoughts elsewhere, and without being used to flying yet, he began to fall, not sure of how to stop it.

         Feeling helpless, as if there wasn’t much else to do, he began to yell for help.

         The ground was fast approaching, and he glued his eyes shut, preparing for the worst.

         Before he could hit the ground, however, a strong pair of arms caught him.

         After Davey forced himself to even out his breath, he pried his eyes open.  

         Unsurprisingly, the sight he was greeted with upon opening them was the infamous Jack Kelly, worry and concern present in his features.

         When the now familiar blush began to paint Davey’s cheeks a light shade of pink once again, he wished that he had just kept his eyes shut.

         “You okay, Davey?” Jack asked in a tone that was blatantly worried.

         “I’m fine,” Davey squeaked, unable to tear his gaze away from Jack’s deep green eyes.

         Jack let Davey touch down to the ground as Sarah and Les landed beside him, bombarding him with questions that displayed the same worry that Jack had.

         While Davey conversed with his siblings, six or so boys poured out of a tree, scrambling towards Jack with wide grins plastered on each of their faces. Davey turned towards them, assuming they could only be the famed Lost Boys.

         Guessing that the tree they surfaced from was Jack’s hideout, Davey wondered how Jack even _thought_  that they could have found it. Examining the hideout, he would have been fooled if you had told him it was an ordinary tree.

         “Did you see that, Jack?! I shot down the intruder!” a lanky blonde boy said.

          He was shoved as a muscular red-haired boy shouted “No, I did!”, and soon a roar of chaos washed over the group as each boy attempted to take credit for Davey’s fall from the sky. 

         “Attention!” Jack shouted, effectively silencing the group of rowdy boys.

         “Now, I’s real proud of ya’s for knowin’ what to do in the case of an intruder, but this ain’t no intruder; it’s Davey,” he stated simply.

         “Davey?” a small raven-haired boy repeated.

         “Yeah. He, his sister, and his baby brother are _guests_ here, and I expect you to treat them as such,” Jack finished informing the boys.

         When he finished speaking, the boys all saluted, confirming that they would. “Now, introduce yaselves,” he said. 

         The first to speak was the lanky blonde boy from before, an unlit cigar hanging from his lips. “My name’s Racetrack. Call me Race, Racer, whatever; I don’t care,” he stated.

         Next to him was the muscular redhead, who introduced himself as Albert. Then it was Elmer, Mike, Ike, and Specs.

         Davey adopted a confused look at the strange names, but didn’t have time to question them as Les ran up to them. “Wow! It’s great to meet ya! I’ve read all about ya’s! Would you guys take me on an adventure?! Would ya?!” Les said excitedly, practically bouncing up and down.

         “‘Course, shortstop! Wanna infiltrate the Brooklyn with us?” Albert suggested.

         “Boy, would I!” be responded. “Sarah, do ya wanna come with us?!”

         The girl in question laughed lightly, and answered with “Sure, why not?”

         The group began to march away, leaving Davey and Jack alone, which made the former infinitely nervous. 

         “Come on, Dave, I’ll take ya to see those mermaids you love so much!” Jack said, breaking the silence.

         He grabbed Davey’s hand once again, and that damn blush was back. This time, Davey attempted to actually fight it.

         However, as they took off into the sky, he was positive that his efforts were in vain. 

* * *

 

         Sarah, Les, and the Lost Boys all marched towards the edge of Neverland, singing a silly song as they went. They reached a clearing, surrounded by shrubbery. 

         The group slowed to a halt, then formed a circle. Strategies began to form for how to best sneak onto the Brooklyn, which sat docked in the water a few several feet away from them, past the clearing. 

         “Ok, guys, start throwin’ out ya ideas,” Race started.

         “We need to be real stealthy!” Elmer chimed in happily.

         “And how do ya suppose we do that?” Mike and Ike said in near perfect unison.

         “Maybe we could use some of these?” Specs suggested, referencing the bushes surrounding them.

         “That won’t be useful for long, considering we’re sneaking onto a _ship,_ which aren’t exactly known for spontaneously sprouting shrubbery,” Sarah chided.

         Les, who had been silent the whole time, began to grow uneasy as he heard small rustles from the bushes surrounding them.

         Unbeknownst to the group as a whole, the crew of the Brooklyn stood ready to capture them, lead by Spot Conlon himself. 

         Before Les could voice his concerns to the group, Spot Conlon and the rest of the Brooklyn crew jumped out of the bushes, catching them off guard, easily capturing them. 

* * *

 

          After being tied to a mast on the ship, the Lost Boys watched as the toughest member of the Brooklyn crew, Spot, made his way over to them.

         Sarah began to grow worried, leaning into Specs to ask, “What is he going to do with us?”

         “Ah, he’ll let us go; he always does.” Race answered, rather than Specs.

         “Always?” Les questions, confused by the implication that this wasn’t the first time that they’d been in this situation.

         “Yeah, we’s always do this! There ain’t much to do around here for fun,” Albert laughed.

         As Spot approached the group, Sarah began to doubt that Spot would be letting them go, based on the sour look on his face.

         Her suspicions were confirmed when Spot said “Not this time I ain’t; you’s guys ain’t leavin’.”

         Silence met Spot’s words, no one knowing how to respond.

         Race broke it by saying “Not even me, Spotty?” in a forced light tone, trying not to let his growing worry seem evident.

         “None of you’s leave this ship until you agree to return the King,” he replied curtly.

         “Kathy? We ain’t got her!” Race explained, met by various noises and words of agreement.

         “Who?” Sarah whispered, searching her childhood memories. “I thought that Spot Conlon was the King of the Brooklyn.” 

         “Not anymore; it’s Katherine now,” Specs whispered back, not elaborating further.

         The name sounded familiar to Sarah, but she couldn’t think of why. The girl must have had _some_ sort of place within her childhood stories, but Spot spoke again before she could think about it further. 

         “I don’t care. If she ain’t returned by sundown, all of you’s is bein’ thrown overboard.”

         This was met with loud protests as Spot retreated, save for Race, who was now being uncharacteristically quiet.

* * *

         Jack and Davey arrived at Mermaid Lagoon, hand in hand.

         Jack set Davey down on one of the rocks, then proceeded to fly over to the where the mermaids were gathered.

         “Hello, ladies!” Jack greeted, and was met with enthusiastic greetings in return.

         The greetings stopped abruptly, however, when they noticed Davey. 

         “Who’s this?” a blonde one inquired.

         “Oh! This is Davey,” Jack said, as Davey gave a short wave, nervous smile present on his face.

         The mermaids looked between Jack and Davey; noticing the look of pure infatuation that Jack displayed while looking at Davey, the mermaids began to make their way over to where Davey stood on the lone rock.

         “Oh, what a _pleasure_ it is to meet you!” one of them greeted, voice dripping with sarcasm that neither Jack nor Davey picked up on.

         Davey’s anxiety began to melt away, being replaced with the same joy and exicitement that he felt as a child while fantasizing about this same exact scenario. He doubted, however, that they would then offer him a magical potion of sorts that would transform him into a mermaid, but it was close enough.

         “Well, it’s lovely to meet you all too-“ he began, but was interrupted when one of the mermaids splashed him.

         They all began to snicker, Davey joining in, thinking it was a harmless joke.

         All of the mermaids, then, began to splash him, effectively soaking him.

         When Davey felt that it didn’t seem like they were going to cease their actions, he began to doubt that this was a harmless, friendly joke. 

         Davey laughed nervously, and said “Okay, very funny, but please, enough.”

         When the mermaids didnt stop, he continued to make efforts to stop them, but they all turned up unvictorious.

         “Alright, _enough,”_  he said angrily, turning to pick up a shell that rested by his feet, raising it above his head in defense. “If you do not stop _right now,_ I swear, I’ll-“

         “Whoah, Davey!” Jack said, flying over to him. “What’s gotten into you?”

         Davey looked at him with bewilderment, not understanding how he could be so dense.

         “What’s gotten into _me?_ They were trying to _drown_ me!” Davey exclaimed wildly.

         “Hey, that ain’t true! Right, girls?” The mermaids giggled in reply, nodding their heads, but the devious looks in their eyes told a different story.

         “How could you _possibly-“_ Davey began, but was interrupted by Jack putting his hand over Davey’s mouth, silencing him.

         Davey shoved his hand away, prepared to finish his thought, but Jack flew away, peering past a rock at the waters behind it.

         “Yup, that’s Pulitzer. And he’s got Katherine too, that _bastard_ ,” Jack observed, loathing clear within his words.

         “Katherine?” Davey asked, but Jack grabbed his hand instead of answering.

         “Gotta go, ladies, but thanks for your hospitality!” he said, pulling Davey up into the air, following the direction of Pulitzer.

* * *

 

         Pulitzer, Katherine, and Pulitzer’s right-hand man, Seitz, rowed into a dark cave.

         Seitz anchored the boat, while Pulitzer turned to Katherine, who was tied up. 

         “Now, dearest, I take it that you’re quite good friends with Jack Kelly. Tell me where his hideout is, and I’ll release you. If I were you, I’d make this quick, as high tide will be upon us soon,” Pulitzer sneered. At this, Katherine rolled her eyes.

         Jack and Davey watched from above, concealed by a tall slab of rock.

         Jack examined Katherine’s actions, amazed at how she could be so easily careless and brave in the face of the vile man before her. 

         “I won’t be giving you any information on him, or his whereabouts,” she stated bluntly. “In fact, father, I don’t believe that you’d be so cruel as to purposefully harm your own daughter.”

         Pulitzer snickered at this. “Clearly you underestimate me, dearest. Seitz, lower her into the water.” 

         “Are you sure, Captain?” Seitz asked shakily.

         “ _Now,_ Seitz!” Pulitzer bellowed in reply, startling both him and Katherine.

         He immediately began to lower her into the water, trying to ignore the look of sheer horror on her face. 

         “Let this be a lesson, darling, to you, and everyone else: defy me once, and you will not live to see the day that you defy me again,” Pulitzer jeered as Seitz rowed away, who was just as horrified at Pulitzer’s action as Katherine was. 

         Jack could hardly believe his ears. “Katherine is Pulitzer’s _daughter?”_ he asked in disbelief.

         “ _That’s_ the part that bothers you? Come on, Jack, we need to save her!” Davey said, and sure enough, the water had begun to rise, now reaching Katherine’s chin. 

         “Oh, no _way_ am I saving her, she’s a  _backstabber!”_ Jack exclaimed, hurt evident in his voice.

         “Jack, you can talk to her about it later, but you won’t get the chance to if she’s _dead,”_ Davey countered.

         He stared at Jack intently, and finally Jack acquiesced with a groan, flying down to where Katherine sat in the water, Davey following his path shakily.

         “Jack!” she said, happy to see him.

         “Shut it,” he said harshly, beginning to untie Katherine as she tried to keep her head above the water.

         Once she was successfully freed, Jack took her hand, and flew out of the cave with Davey trailing close behind.

         Davey knew it was silly, especially considering Jack didn’t even want to be in the _general vicinity_ of her, and Katherine couldn’t fly without the help of pixie dust, but he couldn’t help but feel a small pang of jealousy at the fact that Jack was holding Katherine’s hand instead of his.

* * *

 

         Jack and Davey returned Katherine safely to the Brooklyn, where she was greeted by her crew with happy shouts.

         Jack, however, was still not speaking. Not to Davey, and _especially_ not to Katherine.

         “Jack, _please_ talk to me,” Katherine begged after she greeted the last of her crew.

         “I ain’t got nothing to say to you,” he stated bluntly, but seconds after said, “How could ya not think to tell a fella, a _friend_ , that you was the daughter of his greatest enemy?!” he exclaimed angrily.

         “Well, you never _asked_ who my father was, or even my last name,” she countered.

         “Well, I didn’t think I had to!” Jack shouted back.

         “Jack, you’re being ridiculous,” Katherine stated simply.

         “Am I really? Who else knew?!” he demanded.

         “...Everyone,” Katherine said guiltily.

         Jack threw up his hands in the air with an angry huff.

         “If you’re wondering why I didn’t tell you, it’s because I knew you would react exactly like this,” she said. Jack suddenly looked sheepish, averting his gaze. 

         “Jack,” she said sternly. He looked back up at her, and she had a firm look on her face.

         She held out her arms to embrace Jack, looking as if she would most definitely not take no for an answer.

         Knowing that  _no one_ said no to the King of the Brooklyn Ship, he surrendered, and melted into her embrace.

         When they pulled away, they were both laughing, foreheads pressed together, and Jack was giving Katherine the same look that he’d given Davey when they met.

         Davey turned his head away, trying not to feel embarrassed at the fact that he thought he was at least somewhat special to Jack.

         He desperately needed a distraction, which came in the form of Sarah and Les barreling towards him, sweeping him into an embrace of their own. 

         “Whoah!” Davey exclaimed, nearly getting knocked over by the two. “Are you guys alright?”

         Sarah nodded, “Spot and the rest of the crew captured us and threatened to kill us if the King didn’t resurface, but it’s okay now!” she said.

         “It was _so cool!”_ Les exclaimed, and Davey gave him a quizzical look.

         Jack and Katherine had now separated, and Katherine locked eyes with Sarah.

         “Who are they?” she asked politely, though her gaze didn’t separate from Sarah’s.

         “Oh, this is, Davey, his brother Les, and his sister Sarah,” Jack said, referring to each of them as he introduced them.

         Katherine held out her hand to Sarah as if in a trance, still holding her gaze.

         “Pleased to make your acquaintance,” Katherine said as Sarah grasped her hand, lightly shaking it.

         “Likewise,” Sarah replied, equally disconnected from the world around them. 

Daveydidn't notice Katherine’s clear infatuation with his sister, his mind still on her and Jack.

         Wanting to get away from them, he took Les by the shoulder, steering him towards the main deck, where the beginnings of a party were starting to form in order to celebrate Katherine’s return.

* * *

          The main deck was bustling with life when Davey and Les arrived.

         Jack followed shortly after them, wanting to catch up with Davey.

         However, when he made it up, the two of them had already disappeared into the crowd, nowhere to be seen.

         The crew of the Brooklyn was a large one. Well, larger than Jack’s “crew”.

         There was Smalls, Jojo, Henry, Finch, Romeo, Mush, Kid Blink, Tommy Boy, Hotshot, Buttons, Snipeshooter, Swifty, Skittery, Boots, and more that Jack couldn’t even name.

         With the crew of the Brooklyn, as well as the Lost Boys, there was a large group gathered in the center of the ship, dancing and singing merrily.

         Katherine was in the middle of it all, clearly happy to be back with her crew.

         Jack smiled fondly at the sight, and was about to take off to find Davey. Before he could, though, Kath beckoned him into the cluster with a “Jack, come on!” 

          _Well, I’m sure he ain’t goin’ anywhere,_ Jack thought, dipping into the crowd.

         When he reached Katherine, she said, “You know, you’re being regarded as a hero. Everyone wants to speak with the famous Jack Kelly, who’s not only bested Pulitzer several times, but saved the King of their ship as well.”

         Jack blinked at this, before a wide grin broke out on his face.

         “Well, of course they do!” he replied cheekily. 

         When the crew noticed that their hero was with them, they hoisted him and Katherine high above the crowd, their joyous shouts filling the air.

         Jack took Katherine’s hand and raised their connected hands above them, and the cheers grew louder. 

          Davey looked on from the side, watching as Jack gave Katherine that same fond smile as before, and as she returned it.

         He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, and decided to get away from the crowd. 

         He made his way down to the lower deck, and leaned over the edge of the ship.

         He looked at the water below, and the skies above.

         In that moment, Davey wished that he could just go home.

* * *

         Jack continued to have fun for a while with his crew and the Brooklyn’s, but he still hadn’t seen Davey; he decided to ask around.

         Scanning the ship, he saw mostly unfamiliar faces. Katherine was nowhere to be seen, nor was Sarah. Jack chuckled at this, assuming they were together. That was a dead end.

         He continued to survey the ship, and saw Race and Spot towards the corner. They were deep in conversation, heads pressed together, a guilty look on Spot’s face; Jack decided that it was best not to interrupt them.

         Looking for another solution, he saw Les, Skittery, and Boots playing hide and seek, Smalls and Buttons having a heated debate with Blink and Mush, and his eyes stopped at Specs and Romeo.

         He made his way over to them, and their conversation ceased when he stopped at their feet.

         Specs greeted Jack, to which he replied, “Have either of you’s seen Davey?”

         Specs thought for a moment, humming to himself, and eventually said, “Oh, yeah! He headed back to the hideout a while ago.”

         Jack thanked him, giving a short goodbye to the two, and started off towards the hideout. 

         What he failed to notice, however, was Pulitzer and his crew, looming in the bushes and trees, trailing behind him.

* * *

 

        When Jack reached the hideout, he was about to enter, when he heard footsteps behind him.

        He whipped around, unsheathing his dagger, preparing to attack whoever was trying to catch him off guard.

        The sight he was met with however, was the Lost Boys, plus Les and Sarah.

        “Oh! Hey, fellas, whattaya doin’ back from the party so soon?” he asked. The Lost Boys only grumbled in response, looking dead on their feet. 

         “Alright, let’s get ya’s inside,” he supplied, noticing how fatigued his boys looked.

         They followed him down the long, winding stairs in the hideout, reaching their bedrooms.

         Noticing Davey sitting on one of the beds, staring out the window, lack of sleep no longer hindered the boys. They began shouting greetings at the boy, bouncing around him, as well as on the beds.

         Les bounded over to Davey, a wide smile plastered on his face, and wrapped his short arms around his older brother’s legs. Davey let a smile overtake his features as well, as he flattened Les’ hair against his head.

         “You should get to bed soon, Les. Sarah too; we’re leaving in the morning,” he said with a smile, trying to not let his obvious gloom seep into his words. 

         This was met with protesting shouts, as well as various forms of “What?! You can’t!”

         Davey gave them a sad smile, lowering Les into bed, who now spoke up.

         “If we gotta leave Davey, can you at least tell us one of your stories? I’ve been telling the other fellas about ‘em, and they really wanna hear,” he said in a small voice.

         This took Davey aback, but he quickly recovered with a small nod.

         Jack watched from the corner of the room silently, and the boy currently consumed Davey’s thoughts.

         With his mind on Jack, he slipped into a wild story about one of his adventures. He was sure that the boys had already heard it before, and possibly experienced it, but the boys hung onto his every word, awe and amazement in their eyes.

         Once he finished, the boys had fallen into a deep sleep.

         Sarah, content that her brother had finally begun to seem like his old self again, slipped into a deep sleep of her own.

         Turning his head towards Jack, Davey realized that he had disappeared sometime during the story.

         Deciding that he wanted to speak to him, he began to look for the boy. 

         After checking the limited amount of rooms within the hideout, Davey came to the conclusion that Jack was outside.

         He climbed the stairs to the top of the hideout, and opened the trapdoor.

        As he predicted, Jack was sat just outside, looking up at the stars, a gloomy look replacing his typically joyous one.

         “Hey,” Davey said in a small voice.

         When Jack didn’t respond, he took a seat next to him.

         They sat in silence, until Jack broke it by saying “Are ya really leavin’ us Dave?” in a quiet voice.

         Davey frowned at him, preparing to drop everything for this boy.

         However, he needed to stand his ground.

         He didn’t want to leave, not really. But, he knew that he was easily replaceable.

         If Davey left, Jack would just find another sad kid from the mainland to sweep off to Neverland. Either that, or Katherine would occupy him.

         So, Davey replied with “Yeah,” in a firm voice, but his facial expression would have given away his true emotions, had Jack been looking at him. “I’m sorry,” he said.

         Jack chuckled at this, waving a hand dismissively.

         “So... you and Katherine, huh?” Davey asked, trying not to let it seem apparent that they were the main reason he was leaving.

         Davey knew that the reason was silly, and that he had only known the boy for a day, but it had felt so much longer than that.

         He devoted his whole childhood to him, and meeting him in person only served to make Davey fall head over heels for him.

         Jack laughed, as if he had told a joke. Davey raised an eyebrow at him, and Jack attempted to explain.

         “I think that Kath’s a little more preoccupied with ya sister than me,” he said.

         “What?” Davey said, confused. Then, realization washed over him “ _Oh_ ,” he said, feeling foolish for not seeing it before.

         “Yeah,” Jack chuckled.

         Then, Davey realized the implications, as well; Jack wasn’t interested in Katherine, and Katherine wasn’t interested in him.

         He felt a strong surge of happiness and relief, but it all came crashing down when Jack said, “Besides, I’ve got my eye on someone else. Someone real pretty, real smart, the best at telling stories. Most beautiful eyes you’ll eva see...” he trailed off.

         “Oh,” Davey said, trying not to let his disappointment show.  

         Davey had the sudden urge to get away from Jack.

         “I’m gonna....” he said, not really knowing how to finish his sentence. He began to stand back up, but Jack grabbed his hand and yanked him back down.

          Davey turned to look at Jack, preparing to ask him why he did that, but _wow_ , was he close.

         Davey flushed at the close proximity, and got angry at himself for doing so.

         “Y-Yes?” he squeaked. Jack sighed.

         “Gee, Dave, for a guy with such a big brain, ya can be real dense sometimes,” he said, leaning in closer.

         He squeezed Davey’s hand, which he had yet to release. Davey’s breath picked up speed as Jack pressed his forehead to Davey’s. He could feel Jack’s hot breath on his nose and mouth, who was still inching closer.

         Davey could be dense sometimes, yes, but he’d be a fool if he didn’t understand what was about to happen.

         This is what he had been waiting for, since the moment he met him.

         Well, maybe not the _moment_ he met him, as Davey had attacked Jack as soon as he saw him, but very close nonetheless.

         Not wanting to wait any longer, Davey closed the distance between the two of them, softly pressing their lips together.

         It was a short kiss, and Davey didn’t dare open his eyes once they separated.

         He didn’t have to, however, as Jack surged forward to capture his lips in a another kiss, this time deeper.

         Davey put his hands around the back of Jack’s neck and pulled him closer, as their lips moved together slowly.

         Before the kiss could grow too heated, Davey pulled away, resting his forehead again Jack’s.

         Jack had adopted a wide grin, while Davey looked terrified.

         “ _Wow_ ,” said Jack, dreamily.

         Davey swallowed deeply, shakily asking, “What if someone finds out?”

         Jack seemed confused at this, replying with, “Whaddya mean?”

         “Won’t we get in trouble?” Davey asked, still sounding just as terrified as he did when he first spoke.

         Jack gave Davey a quizzical look. “No? Why would we?” he asked.

         Davey, still skeptical, explained “Well, in the mainland, it’s illegal.”

         Jack’s confusion was still apparent. “What does that mean?” he inquired.

         Davey let out a short laugh, but grew serious when he said “It means that it’s prohibited. It means that if you’re caught, you’re locked up, or worse.”

         Jack nodded at this, confirming that he understood. There was one thing that he still didn’t, though.

         “Why?” he asked. Davey sighed, shaking his head, which informed Jack that he didn’t have an answer. 

         Jack knew that the mainland could be real awful sometimes. They had lots of rules there that they didn’t have in Neverland, most of which didn’t make much sense to him, just like this one.

         “Hey, if you still plan on going home, you should let me take ya to Santa Fe sometime. It’s one of my favorite places to visit in the mainland,” Jack said.

         “What’s Santa Fe?” Davey inquired, and Jack lit up.

         “It’s a real nice city in New Mexico, spankin’ new. It’s clean, and green, and pretty, and it’s made out _clay_!” he exclaimed brightly.

         Davey giggled, and said, “It sounds lovely.”

         Jack nodded enthusiastically, then smiled warmly at Davey.

         “Do ya wanna know my number one _favorite_ place to visit?” he said.

         When Davey smiled and nodded his head, he said “Your house.”

         This caught Davey off guard, and he raised an eyebrow at Jack.

         The boy in question laughed heartily, explaining, “I’s been visiting you’s guys for years. You guys talked about me every night, I couldn’t resist!”

         Davey laughed at this, and Jack added, “And, it helped that the oldest brother was one of the prettiest boys I’s ever seen.”

         Davey shoved him playfully, then said, “I should be heading to bed, it’s getting late.”

         “What, don’t I get a kiss goodnight?” Jack said with a bright grin.

         Davey rolled his eyes, and pulled Jack in for a lingering kiss.

         “Goodnight,” he said after they parted, climbing back down to the bedroom. 

         When Davey reached the bedroom, he saw Sarah, Les, and the Lost Boys, tied up at the center of the room.

         He prepared to scream to Jack for help.

         Before he could do so, however, he was silenced by strong hands, and tied up with the rest of them, with strict instructions to remain quiet. 

* * *

 

         After Davey had closed the small door, Jack let out a happy sigh.

         His good mood didn’t last for too long, however, as heard someone sneer “What a touching display of affection.” 

_Pulitzer._

         “What do you want, old man?” Jack growled.

         “It’s very simple, Kelly,” Pulitzer started.

         “I’ve got your ‘Lost Boys’ tied up in your very own hideout, as well as, oh, what’s his name-“

         “Davey,” Seitz supplied.

         “Davey. His baby brother and elder sister, as well. I take it you’re fond of him,” Pulitzer jeered, knowingly.

         Jack didn’t answer, opting instead to cast a fiery glare at Pulitzer.

         “Here’s my proposal. I’ll let them go, unharmed, if you agree to leave Neverland and never return. However, if you refuse my offer, they’ll be visiting my ship, as well as the waters below it,” Pulitzer sneered.

         “Davey, his siblings, the Lost Boys. Even that pixie you adore so much; they’ll all be gone. They’ll never be able to thank you enough.”

         When Jack didn’t answer, Pulitzer laughed, knowing that he had won.

         He extended his hand, “Do we have a deal, Mr. Kelly?” he said.

         Jack begrudgingly took the man’s hand, shaking it and saying, “You’re vile, Pulitzer.”

         Pulitzer laughed in his face, saying “Oh, I know, boy. I just simply do not care.”

* * *

 

         Surprising no one, Pulitzer went back on his deal. As soon as Jack had fled, he instructed his men to take the group back to his ship.

         On Pulitzer’s ship, they found themselves tied to a mast once again.

         “I’m getting real sick of getting captured,” Sarah said, twice being enough for her.

         “Shut it, floozy,” one of the crew members snapped, punching the wood above her head.

         Sarah didn’t even flinch, keeping her nose up high, defiantly.

         Across the ship, she saw a boy who bared a striking resemblance to the one who had attempted to intimidate her; she had to assume that they were brothers. 

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, Pulitzer surfaced from his quarters.

         He walked over to his hostages with heavy footsteps.

 “Good evening,” Pulitzer said with a faux smile.

         “Let us go,” Davey snapped defiantly, and Pulitzer laughed in response.

         “Gladly, boy, on one condition: you all agree to be part of my crew,” he said.

         The boys all protested, to which Davey countered, “And if we don’t?”

         “Then you walk the plank,” he said as he gestured to the sea below, devious grin on his face.

 _“_ Fat chance, Pulitzer,” Davey growled, as they were cut loose.

         However, all of the Lost Boys were scrambling to make attempts to sign up.

         “Boys! What has gotten into you?!” Sarah reprimands.

         “Didn’t ya hear ‘em?! He says we walk the plank if we don’ join ‘im!” Albert says, which is met with various words of agreement.

         “Well, we don’t have to. Jack will notice we’re gone, he’ll save us,” Davey informed, without a trace of doubt in his words, which were met with a hearty laugh from Pulitzer.

         “What’s so funny?” Davey snapped at him.

         “I highly doubt that, my boy. If he cared enough to save you, then why would be halfway to New Mexico by now?” he said, and Davey’s blood ran cold.

         “What?” he said in a small voice.

         “Ye-es, I figured that I would be a fair player and inform him as to where his friends disappeared off to. But, as soon as I gave him the word, he fled,” he informed, and the color drained from Davey’s face.

         “So, your decision?” Pulitzer asked.

         Davey adopted a firm look, stood up straight, and said, “No. I’d rather walk the plank than work for such an insolent man.”

         The Lost Boys, as well as his siblings, all cheered in agreement.

         “Then so be it. _You_ will be the first to go, since you seem so eager,” Pulitzer said in reply.

         He had his men tie Davey’s hands behind his back, then guided him to the plank with his sword.

         Davey spared a glance and his siblings.

         Sarah held Les tightly against her, giving him a firm nod. Davey nodded in response, letting Pulitzer guide him to the edge of the ship.

         The Lost Boys all screamed in protest, begging him not to go through with it, as they hadn’t thought that Pulitzer would really follow through on his threat.

         Davey didn’t listen, and continued to walk.

         As he reached the end of the plank, he didn’t regret his decision for a second.

         With a push, Pulitzer sent him hurdling towards the water below.

         Sarah and Les began to openly sob, while the rest of the Lost Boys’ eyes were fresh with tears.

         “Let this be a lesson to you all,” Pulitzer started, grinning, “Join me, or meet the same fate as your friend,” he finished, looking proud with himself.

         Then, one of his crew mates tugged on his sleeve, and whispered something into his ear.

         “What?” Pulitzer asked in a disbelieving tone, “What do you mean ‘no splash’?”, and looked over the boat.

         Looking into the water, he didn’t see anything. The rest of the crew, the Lost Boys, Sarah, and Les, all scrambled over to see.

         “The ship is cursed,” Race whispered, and Albert promptly elbowed him in his side.

* * *

 

          As Davey fell to his death, he stayed silent the whole way down; he only hoped that his siblings and the Lost Boys would get away from Pulitzer safely. 

         Before he could hit the water, he was caught by a familiar pair of strong arms.

 _Jack_ , he thought.

         Jack flew quickly to the side of the boat, holding Davey close. 

         “You came back?” Davey asked in awe.

         “I never left,” Jack grinned cheekily, pressing his forehead against Davey’s as they giggled happily.

         Then, Jack put a finger to his lips, instructing him to be quiet once they heard voices coming from above. 

         Jack flew him and Davey up to the crow’s nest, set him down, and untied his hands. Pulitzer and his crew could be seen below, pondering the disappearance of Davey.

         Pulitzer grunted angrily. “Nevermind the boy!” Pulitzer bellowed, and pointed his sword to his remaining captives. “Make your decision; you better choose wisely,” he said with a scowl.

          Jack, recognizing that as his cue, shouted “Alright, Joe, that’s enough!”

         All heads turned towards the voice to see Jack and Davey, hand-in-hand.

         Les, Sarah, and the Lost Boys exclaimed, “Jack! And Davey!”, and Pulitzer growled the sight.

         “Aw, what’s the matta, Joe? Ain’t ya happy to see me?” Jack laughed.

         “We had a deal,” Pulitzer scowled.

         “Right we did, old man, but I guessed that you wouldn’t hold up your end of the deal, neither. I’m sure you can imagine why,” he retorted.

         “Oh, and I forgot to mention; I got some friends on the way,” he said with a smile, looking out to the sea where the Brooklyn was approaching, several escape boats rowing quickly towards them, filled with the ship’s crew.

         Seitz began to prepare an escape boat of his own, and Jack flew over to stand on one of the masts.

         Crew members from the Brooklyn came pouring onto the ship, and Sarah and Les scrambled up the ladder to stand in the crow’s nest with Davey.

         Sarah, Davey, and Les watched helplessly on as the crew of the Brooklyn began fighting Pulitzer’s crew with loud shouts.

         Soon, the Lost Boys joined in, snatching extra weapons that were carelessly discarded on the floor of the ship.

         Jack watched all of this from his place on the mast with a smile, knowing that he’d be fighting his own battle soon, too.

         Sure enough, he turned around to see Pulitzer climbing up the mast towards him.

         Once he reached Jack, he snarled “Let your friends fight for you all you want, Mr. Kelly, but this is a battle you have to win yourself,” gesturing between the two of them.

         “I couldn’t agree more, Mr. Pulitzer,” he replied back happily.

         “I wouldn’t suppose that you’d adhere to one, simple request of mine?” Pulitzer asked.

         “And what would that be?” Jack inquired.

         “No flying,” Pulitzer said with a deadly look in his eyes.

         “You have my word, Mr. Pulitzer,” the boy replied easily.

         Davey listened carefully, hearing the deceit seeping into Pulitzer’s words; he had to warn Jack.

         “No, Jack! Don’t listen, he’s tricking you!” Davey shouted up.

         Jack looked at him, face set, and said “Sorry, Dave. Rules is rules.”

         And with that, the battle began.

         Jack drew his dagger, and he and Pulitzer moved about the mast, metal clanging against metal.

         When Pulitzer attempted to swing high, Jack ducked. When he swung low, he jumped.

         Jack couldn’t land any hits, as any time he would get close to making contact, Pulitzer would block him with his sword. 

         The battles below had ceased, all heads turning to see the battle that took place above them.

         The Lost Boys, the Brooklyn crew, Sarah, and Les all cheered in favor of Jack, urging him to win, and Pulitzer’s crew did the same for their captain. 

         When it looked like Pulitzer was winning, Davey attempted to call out to Jack again, “Jack, fly! Please!”, but was met with silence, save for the shouts of the boys below.

         Jack was momentarily distracted by the sound of Davey’s voice, allowing Pulitzer to easily disarm him.

         He threw Jack’s dagger into the ocean below, and pointed his sword directly at Jack’s chest.

         “Any last words, boy?” Pulitzer jeered.

         Jack pondered this for a moment before saying, “Yeah. What’s that?”, pointing in a random direction.

         Pulitzer grunted in confusion, looking around, before Jack swept his leg under Pulitzer’s, sending him to the ship below. 

         Everyone cheered, save for Pulitzer’s crew, who had now begun to scramble into the escape boat that Seitz prepared.

         Pulitzer groaned, and Katherine walked over to him with a smile, tying his hands behind his back.

         Jack flew down to Pulitzer, and began urging him to the edge of the plank.

         “Any last words?” Jack mocked.

         When Pulitzer remained silent, Katherine came up to the two of them and said, “Mind if I do the honors?”

         Jack gave her a short nod, stepping out of her way.

         Katherine kicked him off of the plank, sending him to the water below, and everyone began to cheer once again. 

         Before Pulitzer could hit the water, he was caught by his crew’s escape boat, who began to furiously row away. 

         Jack and Katherine returned to the group, met with more cheers and shouts of praise.

         Sarah immediately ran to Katherine, and the two shared a celebratory kiss.

         Following in his sister’s footsteps, Davey made his way over to Jack, crashing their lips together.

         As everyone began to celebrate on Pulitzer’s ship, Jack donned an extra hat and coat that he found in the capitain’s quarters.

         Then, he noticed a sack on the floor of the ship that was suspiciously moving.

         He picked up the sack and opened it up, Crutchie flying out of it, clearly miffed.

         “Crutchie!” they all shouted, running over. He began to make more of his wild gestures, and Jack nodded enthusiastically, still being the only one to understand what he meant. 

         “Alright boys!” Jack yelled, effectively silencing the large group.

         “Raise the anchor!” he continued, walking up to the steering wheel.

         Davey followed close behind. “Jack?” he said. “Or should I say, _Captain_ Jack?” he corrected.

         “At your service, darlin’.” Jack said with a smile.

         “Where are we going?” he questioned.

         “Manhattan, of course,” he said in reply, and it took Davey by surprise.

         “What? No, I don’t wanna go home!” he protested.

         Jack sighed, “I don’t want ya to go, neither, Dave, but you’s got family there.”

         “Well, I’ve got family here, too!” Davey retorted, grabbing Jack’s hand and squeezing it.

         Then, an idea dawned on Davey.

         “Why don’t you come with me?” Davey asked, making the same offer as Jack did when they first met.

         “What?” Jack asked, clearly startled by the question.

         “Yeah! You, the Lost Boys, everyone!” he said, eyes bright.

         A grin broke out on Jack’s face, quickly agreeing to the plan, as he called down to the Lost Boys, “Hey, boys, ya wanna come to Manhattan?!”

        The boys shouted in agreement, raring to go.

         Jack locked eyes with Katherine.

         “You comin’, Kathy?” he asked, hopeful.

         She shook her head, and said with a sad smile, “I’ve got a ship to run here. King of the Brooklyn, remember?”

         Jack nodded, and pulled her into a tight hug. 

          The Brooklyn crew began to climb onto their respectful ship, and waved goodbye to Jack, Davey, Sarah, Les, and the Lost Boys. 

         “Crutchie, pixie dust!” he shouted, and Crutchie happily obliged.

         He sprinkled pixie dust all over the ship, which began to float into the air as it shimmered and emitted a golden glow. 

         The Lost Boys ran to the edge of the ship, waving to the Brooklyn crew.

         Katherine blew Sarah a kiss, which she returned, as Les began to fall asleep in her arms.

         Jack clutched the wheel with one hand, and Davey’s hand with the other, as they began to sail away to Manhattan, high above the clouds. 

         Something dawned on Jack.

         “Wait, Dave, where’s we gonna live? I don’t think ya parents are gonna be too keen on havin’ seven more boys in they’s house,” Jack inquired. 

         “Don’t worry, Jackie, I’ve got an idea,” Davey replied with mischief in his eyes, squeezing Jack’s hand. 

* * *

 

         “Come on, Les, hurry up!” Davey scolded, urging his younger brother out the door. On his way out, he nabbed two slices of bread.

         “Where are you two off to in such a rush?” Esther probed, stopping them before they could get too far.

         “Just work, mama!” he replied, still attempting to push past her.

         “Just work? David, you’ve been working for over a year, and I’ve never seen you this excited to get to work,” Esther pryed.

         “They made new friends there, mama,” Sarah informed, rounding the corner.

         “Can we invite them for dinner, mama?” she asked.

         “Oh! Of course!” Esther said, delighted to know that her son had managed to make friends that weren’t his siblings. 

         “Thank you, mama!” Davey said, dragging Les out the door, making their way towards Newsies Square. 

* * *

 

         That night, after dinner was finished, Jack lingered behind while the rest of the Lost Boys retired to the lodgings.

         Jack and Davey stood side by side on the Jacobs’ fire escape, looking up at the stars.

         “Hey, Davey?” Jack said, getting Davey’s attention.

         “Yeah? Mmf-!” he replied, Jack capturing his lips in a kiss as soon as Davey turned his head.

         Davey lost himself in the kiss for a moment, before pulling away, saying, “Jack, you need to be careful! People could see!”

         Jack looked down sheepishly. “Sorry, Dave,” he apologized.

         Davey took his hand, pressing a kiss to his knuckles as an apology.

         ”I’m real happy you broke into my house, Jackie,” Davey said, squeezing his hand.

         ”Me too, Dave,” Jack replied with a large grin, squeezing back.

         

 

_Fin._

**Author's Note:**

> ok wow this is the longest thing i’ve ever written!
> 
> ok, first of all, if you’ve made it this far, thank you so much!!! this fic was SO fun to write, and i hope you had fun reading it too!
> 
> i know that this isn’t the greatest piece of literature in the world or anything, but i’m glad that i chose to write this. i didn’t include everything i wanted to simply because i just couldn’t think of a way to add them without seeming forced?? anyways, i hope it’s somewhat enjoyable nonetheless
> 
> (also sorry for not writing a lot of sprace/forgetting about les/forgetting about most of the lost boys/not even writing some characters into the story except for one tiny mention of their names)
> 
> have a lovely day! <3


End file.
